RoyalDude wrote:So apparently Zack is still a Shane OBrien party machine. A bit of a dufus outside the arena. Blobs buddy Tony Gallagher was talking about it with B Mac today on 1040. Apparently his fitness isn't where it should be. Like I said all the tools but a partying fool

Well if TG said it it must be true. He has never been one to exaggerate or tell a bald faced lie.

RoyalDude wrote:So apparently Zack is still a Shane OBrien party machine. A bit of a dufus outside the arena. Blobs buddy Tony Gallagher was talking about it with B Mac today on 1040. Apparently his fitness isn't where it should be. Like I said all the tools but a partying fool

Well if TG said it it must be true. He has never been one to exaggerate or tell a bald faced lie.

There is no such thing as climate change...there is no such thing as climate change...there is such thing as climate change...

RoyalDude wrote:So apparently Zack is still a Shane OBrien party machine. A bit of a dufus outside the arena. Blobs buddy Tony Gallagher was talking about it with B Mac today on 1040. Apparently his fitness isn't where it should be. Like I said all the tools but a partying fool

Well if TG said it it must be true. He has never been one to exaggerate or tell a bald faced lie.

It's pretty much common knowledge about the extra special attention zack gets to keep his partying ways under control

"I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? - Plastics." - The Graduate

RoyalDude wrote:So apparently Zack is still a Shane OBrien party machine. A bit of a dufus outside the arena. Blobs buddy Tony Gallagher was talking about it with B Mac today on 1040. Apparently his fitness isn't where it should be. Like I said all the tools but a partying fool

Too bad we still don't have SOB, Zack and him would make great teammates (bossom buddies).

This really is a make it or break it season for Kassian, and getting suspended for the first five regular season games certainly isn't a good start. Presuming he plays 70+ games, he'll have 150 career NHL games under his belt, and if he doesn't start putting up points, the whispers of "bust" will turn into indignation.

RoyalDude wrote:It's pretty much common knowledge about the extra special attention zack gets to keep his partying ways under control

Care to enlighten me about this extra special attention Kassian gets to keep him off the bottle? I follow a couple of Canucks blogs, this forum and a few "insiders" on Twitter, and this is the first I have heard of "extra special attention". Like, does he have bodyguards? A guidance counsellor, perhaps? Is he driven to his Tuesday evening AA meetings by Gillis?

All I have heard is that there was one incident last season where he went out and partied (like any 22 year old Canadian man would) when he was out of the lineup with a back issue, and he was told to be more professional.

I'm not terribly worried about the vets but the kids and depth players really haven't done much to impress and you can really see holes in the roster for the first time in a long time.

In terms of the kids, Gaunce had a couple of good games, but he's really faded. Again looking slow and a bit behind the play, and generating basically nothing offensively. His defensive game is OK, but if you keep a 19 year old on your roster to come in and play "ok defensively" you have some major organizational issues.

Horvat, is clearly the better player then Gaunce right now. Skates better, creates way more in the offensive zone, and also seems reasonable defensively. He's also just as strong on the puck despite being younger and smaller. Still, though, good teams don't keep 18 year olds unless they are just killing it out there and Horvat is not.

Corrado, probably the only "kid" who can help the team this season, but that much was obvious before camp. Corrado looks quite a bit better then Weber and Albert's and hopefully has a spot on the team to start the year.

Weber looks about as advertised (6/7/8 D-man) but what the hell happened to Alberts. He has never been very good but during this pre-season he's been literally one of the worst players in every game. If you can't keep your head above water fighting for a job in the preseason how are you going to play at all in the regular season?

Richardson looked good with Hansen and Higgens, but everyone does. While playing with other 4th liners he has looked like the 4th liner that he's been in LA. I was hoping for an upgrade on Lappy, but I'm not seeing it.

Santorelli has been a bit of a bright spot but we are talking about a guy who is very much a fringe player.

Sestito was given a 2-year deal and I guess that gave him the green light to let himself go over the summer. I don't really get why you give this guy 2-years, he looks awful just like he did last year.

Anyway not much to be happy about this camp so far and at this point the off season is looking like a bit of a dud.

Hopefully Gillis can use some of that extra cap space to puck up some legit depth players because right now this team looks about as thin as it has during his tenure.

He's got about 40% less of that extra cap space for opening day thanks to the Kassian suspension.

We'll see if the Canucks can scoop up a good player but my guess is that a cap strapped team isn't going to trade or waive an effective NHLer making $1.5m or less, and the guys available at under a million are probably not going to be even close to being difference makers.

Potatoe1 wrote:Hard not to be a bit concerned based on the pre-season so far.

I'm not terribly worried about the vets but the kids and depth players really haven't done much to impress and you can really see holes in the roster for the first time in a long time.

In terms of the kids, Gaunce had a couple of good games, but he's really faded. Again looking slow and a bit behind the play, and generating basically nothing offensively. His defensive game is OK, but if you keep a 19 year old on your roster to come in and play "ok defensively" you have some major organizational issues.

Horvat, is clearly the better player then Gaunce right now. Skates better, creates way more in the offensive zone, and also seems reasonable defensively. He's also just as strong on the puck despite being younger and smaller. Still, though, good teams don't keep 18 year olds unless they are just killing it out there and Horvat is not.

Corrado, probably the only "kid" who can help the team this season, but that much was obvious before camp. Corrado looks quite a bit better then Weber and Albert's and hopefully has a spot on the team to start the year.

Weber looks about as advertised (6/7/8 D-man) but what the hell happened to Alberts. He has never been very good but during this pre-season he's been literally one of the worst players in every game. If you can't keep your head above water fighting for a job in the preseason how are you going to play at all in the regular season?

Richardson looked good with Hansen and Higgens, but everyone does. While playing with other 4th liners he has looked like the 4th liner that he's been in LA. I was hoping for an upgrade on Lappy, but I'm not seeing it.

Santorelli has been a bit of a bright spot but we are talking about a guy who is very much a fringe player.

Sestito was given a 2-year deal and I guess that gave him the green light to let himself go over the summer. I don't really get why you give this guy 2-years, he looks awful just like he did last year.

Anyway not much to be happy about this camp so far and at this point the off season is looking like a bit of a dud.

Hopefully Gillis can use some of that extra cap space to puck up some legit depth players because right now this team looks about as thin as it has during his tenure.

Pretty much agree with ya Pot, but I saw this coming a long time ago much to the chagrin of the of the CC hoi polloi. "RD YOU TROLL!" lol

Mike Gillis will go down as this organizations worst GM, more so than Jack Gordon. He rode the core that was provided for him from the fine workings of the previous GM's for as long as he could, now that core is tired and old and now we can actually see Gillis for who he really is, with where this team is NOW, an agent who should never have quit his day job. He doesn't know the league, the game the way a GM should. He'd probably make a fine President of an NHL team, but he really should give control to someone who knows how to build teams.

At least now that Gillis scapegoat - Vigneault is out of the picture, the blame can now only fall on Gillis shoulders and nobody else .

We are in for some rough .500 hockey for a couple years.

We got some decent kids but nothing to write home about, not the kind that you need for the old Sedins to pass the torch to, completely void of that.

"I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? - Plastics." - The Graduate

RoyalDude wrote:It's pretty much common knowledge about the extra special attention zack gets to keep his partying ways under control

Care to enlighten me about this extra special attention Kassian gets to keep him off the bottle? I follow a couple of Canucks blogs, this forum and a few "insiders" on Twitter, and this is the first I have heard of "extra special attention". Like, does he have bodyguards? A guidance counsellor, perhaps? Is he driven to his Tuesday evening AA meetings by Gillis?

All I have heard is that there was one incident last season where he went out and partied (like any 22 year old Canadian man would) when he was out of the lineup with a back issue, and he was told to be more professional.

Just pretty much running with what B Mac and Tony G were saying about Kassian's professionalism away from the rink yesterday on 1040, or should I say lack-thereof professionalism. According to them, he's a high maintenance player away from the rink in preparation, discipline and yes - partying. Not saying he's as bad as O'Brien, but he's in the neighborhood, apparently. Which might explain why he looks completely disinterested half the time.

If this kid don't get his shit together, it will not be good for this organization and GILLIS to have traded a good trading asset in Hodgson for him.

"I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? - Plastics." - The Graduate

RoyalDude wrote:Pretty much agree with ya Pot, but I saw this coming a long time ago much to the chagrin of the of the CC hoi polloi. "RD YOU TROLL!" lol

Mike Gillis will go down as this organizations worst GM, more so than Jack Gordon. He rode the core that was provided for him from the fine workings of the previous GM's for as long as he could, now that core is tired and old and now we can actually see Gillis for who he really is, with where this team is NOW, an agent who should never have quit his day job. He doesn't know the league, the game the way a GM should. He'd probably make a fine President of an NHL team, but he really should give control to someone who knows how to build teams.

At least now that Gillis scapegoat - Vigneault is out of the picture, the blame can now only fall on Gillis shoulders and nobody else .

We are in for some rough .500 hockey for a couple years.

We got some decent kids but nothing to write home about, not the kind that you need for the old Sedins to pass the torch to, completely void of that.

RoyalDude wrote:Pretty much agree with ya Pot, but I saw this coming a long time ago much to the chagrin of the of the CC hoi polloi. "RD YOU TROLL!" lol

Mike Gillis will go down as this organizations worst GM, more so than Jack Gordon. He rode the core that was provided for him from the fine workings of the previous GM's for as long as he could, now that core is tired and old and now we can actually see Gillis for who he really is, with where this team is NOW, an agent who should never have quit his day job. He doesn't know the league, the game the way a GM should. He'd probably make a fine President of an NHL team, but he really should give control to someone who knows how to build teams.

At least now that Gillis scapegoat - Vigneault is out of the picture, the blame can now only fall on Gillis shoulders and nobody else .

We are in for some rough .500 hockey for a couple years.

We got some decent kids but nothing to write home about, not the kind that you need for the old Sedins to pass the torch to, completely void of that.

Is that you, Mr. Burke??

Do you not agree with my assessment of the shite job that Player Agent Mike Gillis has done?

"I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? - Plastics." - The Graduate

RoyalDude wrote:Pretty much agree with ya Pot, but I saw this coming a long time ago much to the chagrin of the of the CC hoi polloi. "RD YOU TROLL!" lol

You kind of are a Troll though.

Gillis did inherit a good core but he also had one of the best seasons (2010 / 2011) we have ever seen from a Canuck GM.

That year he added Dan Hamhuis and Manny Malholtra in free agency, both of whom were perfect fits for this team. He Also added Lappy and Higgens at the deadline, both of whom played big rolls in our playoff run.

Further to that he and Gillman milked the salary cap for all it was worth and managed to hit the playoffs with an absolutely incredible group of defenseman.

Back then everything made sense, granted the Ballard acquisition did not work out, but it was crystal clear what GMMG was trying to accomplish.

I don't mind the odd miss read on the pro scouting side as long as the over all vision seems sound, but that has not been the case since our loss in the finals.

Lets face it since the Bruins series Gillis has been all over the map. He's went on this quest to add toughness which was totally unnecessary. Now he seems to be obsessed with getting younger but none of our kids are ready.

He lets another great fit in Aaron Rome go for 1.5 and then signs Alberts to a deal at 1.2.

Luongo / Schneider mess.

Does not appear to have gotten equal value for Cody Hodgson.

Trades Hodgson in previous season then sends a second rounder last year for a small, soft, skill, skill forward to play on the second line. Ironically the player we got was the same player the Sabers deemed expendable due to the Cody Hodgson trade. (are we confused or just changing our mind?).

Tells Raymond to talk a walk this off season when we clearly could use the depth.

Signs a garbage player in Sestito for 2 years.

Says we want to get bigger and tougher then replaces Lappy with a smaller and less tough Brad Richardson.

And lets face it the strangest move of all was who he hired as coach. Now I don't actually mind Torts as a coach but he is the exact opposite of what Gillis has been preaching since his arrival. Torts is an old school fire and brimstone type guy who will most likely get some short term results out of this crew.

That said if Gillis truly was the guy he claimed to be when he first came in then he would have hired one of the up and coming new age types like Dallas Eakins. Going with Torts was a short term reactionary move from a guy who has clearly lost some of his swagger.